Comfort
by whirleeq
Summary: KeikoKurama - A Morning After scenerio - this will be a series of 1st person POV one shots. MF,Lime, some Shonen-Ai
1. Kurama

**_Comfort _**

This is going to be a series of 'one-shots' First person point of view style. The order will be Kurama, Keiko, Hiei, Yusuke, and then back to Kurama, exploring a "Morning After" scenario between Kurama and Keiko. I have to give credit to 'Laney' for the idea; it's modeled after her 'Shame and Tears' series, which is a crossover between BTVS/SG1 and explores a Carter/Willow relationship after much the same scenario.

* * *

**_Kurama_**

She's panicking.

She's fretting about my room, her eyes filled with tears, and I feel like the lowest piece of scum on the Earth.

How could I do such a thing?

Right now, I hate myself. I knew that they were fighting. I knew that she had had too much to drink. But when her body was pressed so close to mine last night as I comforted her, I couldn't help myself.

I had loved her for so very long, after all.

Rational thought ended the moment she was receptive to my kiss.

I had ignored the fact that she tasted like sake as I brought her home with me.

Yusuke is going to kill me.

No, he's going to castrate me first, and then kill me.

She's searching desperately for her underwear.

"Kur... Kurama? I can't... I can't find..."

She can't even talk correctly.

I rise from the bed, feeling ashamed of myself as she averts her eyes from my nakedness. Her underwear is mixed up in the pile of clothes that belong to me, and I toss them to her.

"Thanks," she mumbles under her breath, still not looking at me.

The silence between us is cold and awkward as we dress. She looks at me, so very timid, her face still pallid and I hate myself even more.

"Your bathroom?"

"Second door in the hallway on the left."

She leaves, quickly, as if she can't get out of the room fast enough, and my heart feels like it has been pierced by a thousand arrows. Fully dressed now, I fall back upon my bed, the bed that was so warm with her next to me, and wonder how I could have been such a fool.

I momentarily lose myself in the memory of her lips on mine, and how I fit inside of her body as if she was made just for me, and I moan quietly in pain.

She tasted like a summer's breeze.

I still hate myself for what I did, but I can't find it in myself to regret it. If Yusuke kills me, then at least I will die having briefly known heaven.

Yusuke.

The bastard doesn't even know what a gem he has or how lucky he is, to have her love.

I would give anything for it, anything at all.

But I will never have it - especially not now.

My eyes close in pain, and I curse the day I was born as a human.

She's been gone a while, and I'm concerned. I should check on her, even though I'm sure my voice is the last thing she wants to hear.

I go to check on her and I pause when I hear the unmistakable sound of her throwing up.

I cannot bear it, and I feel like an ass.

I doubt I'll ever be able to have sex again.

Steeling myself, I knock on the bathroom door, my heart in my throat as my own tears threaten to spill.

"Keiko? Daijabou?"

"H-hai. I'll... I'll be out in a minute."

I'm horrified with myself for what I've done, and I know that things will never be the same between us.

That hurts the most of all.

Even though she wasn't mine, I relished the times we spent together. I was always there for her when Yusuke was not; I was her confidant, her shoulder to cry on, her best friend.

But I wanted so much more.

Yusuke you asshole. I don't know who I hate more at the moment; me or you.

I'm not surprised to find myself crying as I slump against the wall, my head in my hands.

Keiko's out of the bathroom right now, and she's looking at me; a strange expression on her face.

"Kurama... daijabou?"

_'No. I'm not okay. You're not mine, you hate me, and today you go back to your detective. I won't even have your friendship after this.'_

"Hai, I'm fine Keiko," I lie.

She looks skeptical, and I know that she doesn't believe me, but I don't care. I should be asking her if she's okay.

I should be begging her forgiveness.

I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is going to be okay.

But everything is not okay.

She disappears into the bathroom again for a moment and I let out a relieved breath when she's no longer looking at me with those large, sad brown eyes.

To my utter shock she returns to my side with a washcloth. She kneels beside me and wipes my tears from my face.

I try to repress the shudder that goes through me at the contact, but I fail.

"Kurama..."

She says my name so softly, so sweetly, I am reminded once again of what I have lost by my actions.

She really is a lovely girl.

"Kurama... it's... it's going to be alright... it... it doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to," she says with a forlorn look in her eyes.

I stare at her in utter shock, and her cheeks turn bright red.

"I mean, I understand you have... Hiei? I think? And of course... I... I have Yusuke... at least, some of the time, when he's not so... anyway, we... we can just forget about this. If... If that's what you want, I mean..."

I don't say anything. I can't. My brain is trying desperately to process what she's saying to me, but she's rambling, embarrassed, and won't meet my eyes.

Does she want it to mean something?

Does she have feelings for me as well?

"Anyway... I'm... going to go now... goodbye, Kurama," she says softly, jerking me from my stupor.

She turns to leave, and I grab her, desperate now.

"Keiko... wait," I say, as I pull her down to me.

She smells of tears and vomit and sweat but I don't care, all I care about is that she comes to me willingly. I pull her into my arms and hold her against me, hoping to never let go.

"Keiko... I... I am so very sorry. I have loved you for so very long, I couldn't help myself... I..."

And she silences me with her lips on mine, and I don't care about Yusuke, don't care about Hiei, don't care about anything at all but the beautiful, disheveled girl in my arms and once again, I am in heaven.

_**End Part 1**_

Daijabou – are you okay  
Hai – yes


	2. Keiko

**_Keiko_**

I feel sick.

My head feels like there's a jackhammer inside of it, I'm covered in sweat, and I'm naked.

Wait a minute.

_Naked?_

I wake with a start, and quickly regret it, as my head pounds all the more.

With a groan, I return to the mattress and bury my face in the pillow. Almost on instinct I move to spoon against the back of the warm body next to me. A part of me wants to cringe, because I've once again apparently forgiven him without question, but the better part of me is tired and achy and only wants to get back to sleep.

Yusuke. You are such a royal pain in the ass.

I yawn and nuzzle my nose into the back of his long, silky hair.

_Long, silky hair?_

There is about a five second delay before I shoot straight up once again, and this time I am paying absolutely no mind at all to my headache.

Oh.

Oh _NO._

Not… not possible.

I mean, oh god, I suppose it's possible, but just not with me possible.

Besides, isn't he gay?

He's starting to stir, and I don't know what to do. Oh gods.

Memory soon kicks in, and I lose all the remaining color in my skin.

Oh gods, he's going to hate me. In my drunken haze, I absolutely hung all over him.

No wonder he brought me home – I probably didn't give him any alternative.

He's sitting up now, and giving me the strangest look.

I'm so sorry, so very sorry Kurama.

I don't know what to do.

Yusuke is going to throttle me.

Oh gods… it wouldn't be so bad, I guess, that is if it wasn't Kurama and I hadn't entertained those kind of thoughts about him for so very long and if there wasn't Hiei and there wasn't Yusuke and if Kurama wasn't gay and if –

He cleared his throat. Here I am, pacing the floor like an idiot, and he probably can't wait for me to leave.

He's probably worried that Yusuke is going to throttle _him_.

I need to find my clothes. I need to get dressed.

I need to breathe.

Where the hell are the rest of my clothes? I can't… I can't find…

Oh gods, I'm just going to have to ask him. I swallow the lump in my throat as I look at him.

"Kur… Kurama? I can't… I can't find…"

I finally manage to find my voice. It sounds cracked and hesitant, even to me.

Oh god, he's getting up.

Wow.

I turn my head. I don't want him to see me leering at him. That would be beyond humiliating.

But… _wow_.

He tosses me my underwear and I mutter a 'thanks' under my breath. We quickly dress, and the silence between us is deafening.

Will he hate me now? Will he think me a slut?

I suddenly feel very queasy.

"Your bathroom?" I manage to ask, somehow, and not toss my cookies right on the spot.

I will never, ever, ever drink that much sake again.

"Second doorway on the left," he answers, and I am out of the room like a shot.

I find the bathroom quickly, and splash water on my face.

It is not enough to keep me from being ill, and I once again silently vow to never, ever drink again as long as I live.

The worst part about it was that…

If I didn't…

I can't help myself as another wave of nausea hits again, and I am once more praying to the porcelain god.

God, if I didn't love him.

The truth hits violently, and I try to deny it, but I can't.

I love him and I have loved him for years.

And if I was being completely honest with myself, I drank that much on purpose, knowing full well that the alchohol would lower my inhibitions.

But I always had Yusuke, and Kurama was always so painfully unreachable.

Like a beautiful diamond, far too exquisite to garnish my humble hand.

That, and up until now I was near _POSITIVE_ that he was gay. I mean, Hiei's around him almost constantly.

What's up with that?

I shake my head and fall backwards against the wall as I consider my options.

Option number 1: Leave now, and go back to Yusuke. That is, if I can even find him.

Somehow that option is not very appealing.

I frown and reconsider.

Option number 2: Pretend it never happened.

Okay, it has potential, but I can't help the tight pain in my chest that occurs at the thought.

Option number 3: Come clean with Kurama.

I swallow the lump that once again is plaguing my throat.

I've hidden how I've felt about him for so long, how can I come clean now? Even under these circumstances? And anyway, didn't he look rather disturbed as I left his room?

He's probably heart sick that we slept together.

Okay, so scratch option number 3.

"Keiko? Dajaibou?"

He's knocking on the door now. I splash more water on my face, as I gather my wits about me.

"H-hai. I'll… I'll be out in a minute."

C'mon Keiko; get it together.

I finally steel myself enough to open the door.

I am so not prepared to see Kurama crying in his hands.

"Kurama… dajaibou?"

"Hai, I'm fine Keiko."

He is so not fine. Well, he is _fine, _but not fine.

Oh gods, I'm not making sense even to myself.

I better leave. I better just give him an out now, and hope he doesn't hate me forever, and just leave.

Absentmindedly, I walk back into the bathroom and grab a washcloth. As I use it to wipe his tears, I am wondering to myself _'why am I even trying?'_

It's so obvious that he's beside himself with horror at what we've done.

I just want to find the nearest hole and crawl into it.

Oh yeah… better offer him an out first.

"Kurama... it's... it's going to be alright... it... it doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to," I say, and I immediately curse myself as soon as the words leave my lips.

That was NOT what I was supposed to say, dammit. I was supposed to say, 'let's just forget about it', and leave it at that.

Oh gods.

He's giving me an 'are you insane?' look.

"I mean, I understand you have... Hiei? I think? And of course... I... I have Yusuke... at least, some of the time, when he's not so... anyway, we... we can just forget about this. If... If that's what you want, I mean..."

Great. Now I'm stammering.

Better to get this over quickly. Even if my heart feels like it's being squeezed by a vice.

"Anyway… I'm… going to go now."

Oh no Keiko, you will _NOT_ allow yourself to cry.

I say that over and over like a mantra in my head as I turn to leave –

and I am struck completely dumb with shock when I feel him grab me.

"Keiko… wait," he says, as he pulls me down to him.

I'm so confused I don't know what to think. But he's holding me so tightly I can't even breathe.

"Keiko… I… I am so very sorry. I have loved you for so very long, I couldn't help myself… I… "

Wait.

Did he just say he loved me?

I am so overwhelmed with joy, that I don't even give him a chance to finish his sentence, as I swoop down upon his lips like a predator. His lips are warm and pliant, and he returns my attentions with as much ardor as I am giving him, and I no longer care about Yusuke or Hiei or anything but the red-haired kitsune avatar who's held my heart for so very long.

**_End Part 2_**


	3. Hiei

_**Hiei **_

Hn.

I had not intended to accompany the toushin to the Makai this time. It should have been the baka - or even Kurama.

Yet, the baka was - I shiver to even think about it - with my sister, and the kitsune had opted to spend time with the detective's onna.

Now, we are both covered in various welts and scratches as we stand before the home of the fox. The scents prevalent in the air paint a very good picture, and I turn to the toushin by my side.

The fox must have a death wish.

I am not blind. I knew that the fox desired the ningen onna - but was it as a mate or a plaything? It was hard to tell.

I did not think he would take it to this point, however.

"Hn. He's here, but he's occupied. Let's go, Yusuke."

"What? No. No way. I wanna know what happened to Keiko," he says determinedly, and I frown.

This is not going to end well.

Of course, if you ask me, this was the detective's own fault. What kind of demon leaves their prospective mate in the care of another male? Had it been my prospective mate, I would have dragged her along with us.

Not that I have any intention of taking a mate.

Ever.

But still -

"I don't think that's wise, detective," I say in a droll tone.

The dark haired Toushin whips his head around and looks at me with brown eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Eh? Why not, Hiei? He was the last one to see her, after all. Dammit, he has to know where she's at!"

When he starts to storm off towards Kurama's door, I know that I have to interfere. With a long suffering sigh, I put myself in between the detective and Kurama's house.

Baka no kitsune - you owe me. Big.

"Hn. We should leave, Yusuke," I say again, this time with my hand hovering over my katana.

He gives me a look of incredulity.

"Hiei? What has gotten into you, shrimp? Get out of my way - Keiko didn't go home last night, dammit, and the fox was the last one to see-"

Yusuke abruptly trails off, and I can almost see the little gears above his head as he puts two and two together.

Something in his eyes flash, and he grits his teeth as he once again studies my expression.

Internally, I'm groaning, but I manage to look as bored and as disaffected as ever.

"Move, Hiei. Now."

"Hn. No."

"Dammit Hiei!" Yusuke howls as he balls his hands into fists. The toushin is so angry that the blood vessel on his forehead seems about ready to pop. "Get out of my way so I can _KILL_ the bastard. Why are you protecting him, anyway? Shouldn't you be equally pissed that your… boyfriend or whatever is with Keiko?"

_What?_

_My **WHAT?**_

Now I'm thoroughly pissed.

"Hn. I don't know what ever gave you that idea, detective, but if you even go so far as to _**THINK**_ it again, I will disembowel you where you stand," I say venomously.

But the detective manages to push me out of his way, and blasts open Kurama's front door with his spirit gun.

_-Fox. Yusuke is here.-_ I say mentally to Kurama.

Damn him for getting into this mess.

All for a ningen girl.

I really thought the baka fox had better sense.

**_-Can you stall him? Please?-_** comes the answering voice in my mind, a trace of panic apparent in it, and once again I am tempted to groan.

I do not know why I'm even getting involved. Perhaps because I'm curious to see how this whole mess pans out, or perhaps because I have nothing better to do.

A little voice in the back of my head tells me that it is because Kurama is my friend, and I silently threaten that voice with death.

Friend.

Hn.

As if the Forbidden Child had need or want of one of those.

Nevertheless, that is what Kurama has become to me. A friend.

That's why I stick around.

That's why I get involved.

And that's why I am jumping in front of a homicidal Toushin who has managed to make it half way up the stairs.

All because he's my friend.

Perhaps I'm the baka.

**_End Part 3_**


	4. Yusuke

**_Yusuke_**

Kurama.

That fucking… God I'm so mad I can't even think.

How could he?

How could _she_?

Keiko's been my girlfriend for… forever. I never thought she'd do this to me. I never thought _he'd_ do this to me.

Apparently I gave them both too much credit, because they've both just fucked me.

By fucking each other.

I'm going to fucking kill that fox.

I blast down his front door without even thinking. I can't think. My head is swimming with their betrayal, and I'm running on pure adrenaline right now.

I take the stairs two steps at a time, and I scowl when the shrimp jumps in front of me – effectively blocking my path.

"Move, Hiei. This is the last time I'm gonna warn you. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't get out of my fucking way."

"Hn. Why should I?"

What? Why should he? This was fucking unbelievable!

"Because Keiko is _mine_, goddammit!"

"Hn. You wouldn't think it," the shrimp says sarcastically.

I narrow my eyes at him. I swear, if the shrimp keeps provoking me, I'm going to transform. My demon blood is already surging and it is all I can do to keep it under control.

"Whaddya mean by that, shrimp?"

Normally, I don't insult the little guy – that's Kuwabara's department – but today, I can't help myself. He's just picking the wrong fucking day to get on my bad side.

"It occurs to me that if something belonged to you, you wouldn't neglect it."

Okay. That is fucking it. This is partly his fault anyway… if I hadn't thought he was fucking Kurama, I never would have left her alone with the damned pretty boy. Shit!

Not even the little guy can move fast enough to avoid the punch that I throw. He's not really my intended target, but nevertheless I feel some sort of satisfaction when my fist connects with his jaw.

I vehemently ignore the little voice in my head – which sounds too much like Botan for my own comfort – that says he's only speaking the truth.

Still, the unexpected action has stunned the little guy enough so that I'm able to pass him and make my way up the rest of the stairs.

Three things immediately become clear to me.

Someone is in the shower. God, I hope its Keiko, because I kinda don't want her to see what a bloody mess I'm going to make out of Kurama.

Kurama's door is closed and covered with vines. Shit, he can try all he want, but there ain't no way he's keeping me out.

The whole fucking floor absolutely reeks of sex… and my demon senses are also picking up the faint sweet odor of sake.

Did that fucking fox take advantage of her while she was drunk?

I'm going to fucking cut his balls off and feed them to him!

The demon in me finally surges to the forefront, and I let it. I feel the nest of hair falling down my back, and the seams in my shirt rip as the muscles in my chest expand. I let the ruined garment fall to the floor, as I extend my claws and start ripping through the labyrinth of vines that Kurama put up to stall me.

When I finally manage to shred them all, I put my fist through his door. As an afterthought, I realize the door doesn't have a lock, and I could have probably just opened it, but too fucking bad. The fucker deserves to have his house messed up a bit.

How _could_ he?

The fucker is also in his demon form, and I realize why he tried to stall me. Probably took him a bit to work up the emotion necessary to transform, the cold hearted bastard. No matter – I'll rip those fucking ears right off of his too-pretty head.

Honestly Keiko – he looks like a fucking girl. You had to be drunk!

What's pissing me off the most, is that even though his eyes are somewhat narrowed, he's sitting on the edge of his bed looking completely and utterly calm.

The fucking bastard is… _smirking_… at me!

"Yusuke. I can't say that this is a surprise… is there something I can do for you?"

"NO."

I am seething.

"Pardon?"

"NO. There ain't no fucking way I'm going to let you sit there and… pretend you don't know what this is about, you traitorous fuck!"

"Language, Yusuke," the fucker says with a disapproving shake of his head. "I would prefer it if you would calm down, so that we can discuss this like men. However, if you choose to escalate this to violence, I fear I will not be so inclined to hold back."

Why that… that…

"You conceited, mother fucking bastard!" I shout. God, I am so ready to rip out his throat, and he's as cool as a fucking cucumber. Why I ever considered him a friend, I will never know…

Ah. My comment about his mother has definitely gotten to him. The pretty boy is standing now, his eyes glimmering with barely repressed rage.

Good. Good because I'm already fucking there and damn him for being able to keep his cool for so long.

"I will warn you only once, Yusuke. Do not bring my mother into this, in any manner," he says as he pulls a rose from his hair.

Oh, hell no. _No_, goddamn it. I want to mess up his face with my fists – not my spirit gun. I want the satisfaction of breaking his all too pretty nose.

"Put that fucking rose away and face me like a man, fox."

He raises one perfectly groomed eyebrow, and puts the rose back in his hair.

"If you insist, Yusuke."

I swear, that shit head is too fucking groomed to be completely straight. Damn it Keiko… why him?

Oh, yeah, the sake.

"Yeah. I fucking insist. Because a fucking rapist like you who takes advantage of a drunk girl really needs to get their ass kicked," I seethe.

Something flashes through his eyes.

Is that… guilt?

Oh that fucker.

His expression softens somewhat and he relaxes a moment.

"Yusuke… it – it wasn't… there was more to it than –"

I don't want to hear another word the betraying fuck has got to say, so I launch myself across the room. That same, stupid fucking voice that sounds like Botan says its kinda shitty to attack him now that he's let his guard down a bit, but I don't fucking care. The feeling that I get when my fist makes contact with his chin is just too fucking rewarding.

A fist makes contact with my face. I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding, but I don't care. I retaliate with one to his gut, and then one to his side. The fox winces and grunts from the attack, as he rakes his claws down the side of my arm.

Ouch.

Fucker.

I make contact with his face once again, and this time I'm pretty sure I've broken his nose. He raises one hand to wipe off the blood that is now trickling down to his chin. The look in his eyes is now murderous.

Bring it on, you fucker.

He tackles me to the ground, and the next few minutes are a whirl of punches, scratches and hair pulling.

Yes, hair pulling.

I don't even fucking care that the fight has degenerated to this point. It feels so good to beat the fucking poof into a bloody –

_"YUSUKE! KURAMA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"_

We pull away from each other, as we simultaneously turn our attention to the wet and dripping Keiko in the doorway.

She is wrapped in a huge fluffy towel – and nothing else – and for a moment I forget what the hell I was doing.

"Keiko. I apologize that you had to witness this," the fucking fox says, and I glare at him. Leave it to him to try to be all suave and smooth when its very clear that we were in the process of killing each other. And by the looks of him, I at the very least nearly succeeded. Of course, I'm ignoring the bloody gashes on my arm, and the swelling of my left eye - as well as the clump of dark hair that Kurama still has in one hand.

Keiko sees it too, and she stares at Kurama's hand incredulously.

Kurama flushes in guilt and drops the clump of hair.

"I don't BELIEVE this!" Keiko says, as she walks into the room. She shoots a glare at me. "YOU, I expected this from."

I avert my eyes, somewhat sheepishly.

Wait – why should I be ashamed? No, no way. Kurama fucking deserved this and –

"But you?" Keiko says softly, the disappointment in her voice evident as she kneels by Kurama, and gently puts her hand under his chin. She pushes his blood stained silver hair back from his face and continues to speak to him tenderly. "I didn't think that you'd let him provoke you to this point. What happened?"

Okay. _WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?_

"Keiko. Get _away_ from the poof and get dressed. We'll talk about this after I take you home." I say through gritted teeth. Peripherally, I notice that Hiei is now standing in the doorway looking somewhat… amused?

Fucking shrimp.

She looks at me somewhat sadly, and my heart tightens in my chest. God, Keiko, please don't say –

"No, Yusuke. I'm not going with you."

What? _Why?_

And now I'm pissed again. My moods are shifting faster than hers do when she's ragging.

"_What?_ You can't tell me you actually want to stay with that bastard! _He took advantage of you!_ You were fucking _drunk_, Keiko!" I say. I know I sound like I'm whining, but I don't fucking care.

"He didn't take advantage of me," she mumbles so quietly that I almost miss it.

I am completely stunned. I don't know what to say, and my stomach is tied up in a huge and painful knot. _'You knew this was going to happen someday, Yusuke,'_ the Botan voice says in my head_. 'If not with Kurama, than with someone else. How could you expect her to want to stay with you, when you are never there?'_

I swear, the next time I see Botan, I'm going to – I don't know what I'm going to fucking do, but she needs to stay out of my freaking head. Why the fuck does my conscience have to sound like… like _her_?

Fucking Hiei is smirking.

"Stay out of my head, Hiei! Unless you want to end up looking like pretty boy over there," I say with narrowed eyes, as I point my thumb in the direction of the bleeding kitsune.

Keiko is tenderly wiping the blood off his face with the edge of her towel, leaving her entirely too exposed.

"Keiko?" I ask, as reality begins to set in.

I can see the tender looks between the two of them, and I am beginning to realize that this is about far more than just a one night stand.

It hurts, it really does, but as I start to calm down I wonder why it isn't positively _crushing_ me.

I mean, I love her. I do. Don't I? Heck, we've been together for always… she brought me back to life with a kiss.

Stupid little Botan voice pipes in again and says, _'But you love your job more.' _

And the Botan voice is right. Heck, I'm not even an official spirit detective anymore, but my heart still races with excitement when Koenma asks a favor, or I am needed to sort out some dispute – with my fists of course – in the Makai.

Finally, Keiko turns to me.

She looks tired – resigned.

"Yusuke… I'm really sorry. I really am. But… you haven't been _there_ for me for almost two years, Yusuke. I love you… but just not in the same way that I used to," she says, as the tears begin to trickle down her face.

And I feel like a heel, because she's crying, and somehow despite everything, I know that it is my fault.

"But Keiko – we've been together since we were fourteen. You are my best friend-"

Even as the words come out of my mouth, I realize that they are true, and that is exactly what she is and what she has been.

My best friend.

Is that all we were? Best friends - albeit, with benefits?

My own eyes are watering.

Fuck.

This is not how I expected this to go.

She's coming over to me, and I don't know what else to say.

"Don't blame Kurama – its not his fault, Yusuke. I… I've loved him for a long time – I never even knew he felt the same way, until-"

"Yeah, okay Keiko. I'm not okay with this, you know."

And I'm not.

"I know." She answers, as she lowers her head in tears.

_Fuck._

I open my arms, and she launches herself into them. The towel she's wrapped in starts to slip, and I pull it back up for her and tuck it in.

Kurama and Hiei are both watching us intensely, but thankfully they ain't saying a word. Cause if they did – I dunno, I think I'd lose it again.

I'm holding her, and I'm finally calming down. My body starts to revert to my human form, as I raise one hand to hold the back of her head.

She smells like a summer's breeze.

"I'm sorry," I say, simply.

And I am.

"I know."

We release each other almost at the same time, and she slowly backs away, her eyes not leaving mine. Finally, I can't look at her anymore, and I turn my head towards Kurama, who is holding one hand against the side of his nose.

"You better take good fucking care of her," I choke out, silently adding _'and give her the love and attention she deserves.'_

Kurama nods, before pulling Keiko into his arms.

I can't watch this anymore. I turn to Hiei, who is still standing in the doorway. His look towards me has softened. I know he heard my last thought, but I'm too tired to give a shit.

Without another word, I turn away and walk out the door.

The fire demon follows me.

When we are finally outside, he turns to me.

"Hn. We should get the ferry girl to portal us to the Makai. Mukuro asked me to take care of a pack of chaos demons that were encroaching upon her borders. I could use your assistance, Yusuke."

I almost smile at the little guy. Like hell he needs my assistance. Still, killing something would feel really good right now.

"Okay, Hiei. You're on."

**_End part 4_**


End file.
